This invention relates to the field of data storage and processing. Data storage systems are critical to the information age. With over 100 terabytes of data uploaded to the internet on a daily basis (as of 2012), and with 35 zettabytes of data expected to have been generated by 2020, storage systems will need to be able to cope with the ever growing demand for resources. There is a growing amount of data that interacts with cloud computing service providers. As the volume of data generated increases in this information age, so does the need to be able to protect the data, and make sure such data is available 24/7. Moreover, over the past decade, data breaches and theft episodes are being reported all over the world. This means that the problem is twofold: 1) data availability is critical in the information age, and 2) more data, means more sensitive data, therefore, data theft becomes a much bigger issue, as more and more records containing personal/sensitive information are being generated and uploaded to the web.